This Love
by Loz.Loola
Summary: AU Pre-Pilot. Sam/Jess. This love doesn't need to feel love, doesn't know it is love. Doesn't need a thing.


**Author:** Lauren.

**Rating: **Rated T for... fun stuff.

**Character/Pairing: **Sam, Jess, Sam/Jess oh and I threw B. Davis in (:

**Summary:** _This love doesn't need to feel love, doesn't know it is love. Doesn't need a thing._

**Disclaimer: **Sammy and Jessica belong to Eric Kripke. Brooke is all Mark Schwahn's. The AU fun is mine.

**Author's Note:** I've discovered I love Sam and Jess. Welcome to my version of them. Maybe it's a one shot, maybe it isn't. You tell me.

* * *

Stanford. It's so bright and green that it almost burns her eyes, even through the shade of her sunglasses. Palo Alto. Yes she's really, finally, here. Cardboard box on her hip, heaving all of her crap upstairs. Pity she doesn't have a family member, or better, a guy, to heave stuff with her. Whatever. Jessica Moore has always been stronger than your average and she isn't about to ask for help from the other students who mill around her in the corridors. Finally finding her room, she drops everything inside and collapses on her bed, her entire body burning with a mixture of excitement and exhaustion. If only her Mom could see her now. Her words had been cynical as she'd left, something about how she'd be back in no time at all. Jess had bitten back an equally spiteful reply, inside settling with a promise that she'd call when she arrived. Which she had. For all of fifteen seconds. The words 'I'm here' and an awkward pause seemed to fit nicely into that time.

The door burst open suddenly, surprising her as a petite brunette bustled in, without noticing Jess sprawled out.

"Oh hey!" she exclaimed, smiling with warmth "I'm Brooke."

"Jess." Maybe this whole room mate thing wouldn't be so bad after all, Jess decided inwardly as she watched Brooke unpack from a hot pink suitcase.

"What are you majoring in?" she asked, prompting conversation.

"Sociology," she responded and quirked an eyebrow "Mostly just so I can use the 'studying human sexuality' line on guys."

Jess laughed along with her, it was infectious. Relationships with everyone back home had been so strained in her last few days with them that it was nice just to hang out and not be complicated. Just giggle at the silly things.

"You?"

"English Literature," Jess replied, expecting a dumb blonde joke, she got those even from the girls these days.

"Awesome," Brooke laid out several pairs of blue jeans on her bedspread "So you're a book nerd?"

"Hardly," Jess responded, flashing the copy of US Weekly at her room mate that she'd just fished out of her handbag.

"Girl after my own heart."

* * *

The next couple of weeks was mostly filled with awe, although Jess would never have admitted it. She refused to be so easily sucked in by the brick and textbooks and sophistication. But she was, badly so, no matter how hard she tried to hold the entire thing at arms length. Honestly, Jess just couldn't wait for when she didn't have to wander around for triple the time it should have taken her to find something in the library. And professors were extremely unforgiving concerning tardiness, something Jess cottoned onto quickly. Formerly never one to strictly abide to rules, she became incredibly punctual in a very short period of time. And Brooke was her vibrant companion through all of it. Even through Jess's tears at the quality of her first 'college' essay, Brooke was there with an ice cream pint and a smile. They bonded quickly over bad taste in boys, appetites for partying and drooling over expensive shoes.

And although memories of her past plagued her, Jess forced them away, instead filling her head with Shakespeare and Steinbeck and alcohol filled red cups. With Brooke it was easy to forget between the nights into town and the frat parties and the endless parade of shopping trips to outfit themselves for said events.

It wasn't until Halloween that she started to remember.

* * *

It was ridiculously warm for October, even by Californian standards and inside the party it was hotter than Hell.

And Jess felt uncomfortable. Normally in her element at parties, she squashed the red plastic cup in her hand until it was empty and then fled to the keg. Brooke was seated on some guy, talking to another, flirting with yet another. If anyone could multi date, it was Brooke Davis. A light tap on her shoulder brought her out of concentrating on filling her cup.

"Jess?" she turned to find a guy she recognised from her Lit class greeting her.

"Oh hey Joe," she smiled warmly "How are you?"

"I'm good, the presentation is kicking my ass though," he rolled his eyes and she laughed "I wanted to introduce you to Sam." He nudged forward the guy who'd been standing beside him and she switched her attention. He was cute, in an all American sort of way, in his worn plaid shirt that was two sizes too big and his floppy dark hair that he tucked out his eyes as she looked at him.

"Hey, I'm Jess," pasting a smile across her mouth, she wiggled her fingers in a half wave, playing the part of the Texan blonde to perfection.

"She's in my English class," Joe added and Jess chuckled.

"Barely," she nudged him with her elbow before she heard Brooke bellowing her name drunkenly from the other room "I'll see you guys later." And with that, she was gone in a swish of honey blonde ponytail.

* * *

Scrunching her eyebrows she tried desperately to decipher exactly what she'd scrawled on her notepad. Why did her Professors have to speak so freaking fast? It made her notes unreadable when she went back to them, which was exactly what she was attempting to do now, sitting hunched in an off campus coffee shop.

Weak December sunlight trickled through the windows and around her it was all lattes and ballpoint pens. For some this reason this particular place had become a place of solace for the students, caught a short distance from campus and a short distance from town. Nibbling her bottom lip, Jess swallowed a mouthful of coffee, hoping the caffeine would clear her fuzzy brain. Far too much pre holidays partying and far too little attention paid to studying, she knew her Professors would say.

"Jess?"

Looking up she caught the eyes of the guy she'd been introduced to at Halloween. Shit, what was his name. "Sam," she returned his smile.

"Mind if I…" he indicated the empty seat opposite her.

"Go for it," lifting her bag aside she dropped it down on the ground, digging her pen into the grain of her notebook. Screw this.

"Having trouble?" his eyes were warm and although she'd already decided he wasn't her type, she couldn't help but like him.

"When it gets to the point that you can't read your own notes, you know you should change your handwriting," she responded and he chuckled underneath his breath.

"Or maybe it's just the partying that's addled your brain."

She would have taken it as a cutting comment if his voice hadn't been so gently teasing. "Don't tell me, you've been talking to Brooke."

"She's been talking to me," he corrected, knocking his floppy hair out of his eyes "Or at me, one of the two."

She laughed, resting her chin in her palm. Maybe Brooke liked him. Although she was sure she'd never heard her mention a Sam. "Probably the latter," she smirked, swirling a stirrer in her half finished coffee.

"You want another?" he enquired, pointing to her cup. She eyed him for a second, unsure.

"Why not."

* * *

Their friendship was one that no one could quite fathom. Not even Brooke. She understood the whole 'he's a good guy' scenario, but the added value that he was attractive and Jess hadn't slept with him seemed to send her head spinning. But Jess had decided from the first moment that she wasn't into Sam, and she didn't see that changing anytime soon.

"Stop hogging the popcorn bowl," she complained, digging a sharp elbow into his ribs and inciting a yelp in return.

"I'm sorry Miss One-Handful-That's-More-Like-Four," he smirked cheekily "Maybe we should just get you a bag to yourself next time."

"Damn right," she replied, stretching her bare legs out across his lap. The TV blared in the background as she glanced down at her cell.

"Brooke?"

"Uh huh," inspecting the text, she quickly typed a reply and threw it back down on the table.

"What was it about?" he enquired, not taking his eyes from the movie playing out on the screen.

"Some party," Jess rolled her navy blue eyes "Frat boys, a keg, the works," she added with faux enthusiasm.

"She's a crazy girl, that one."

Jess eyed him carefully "Do you have a thing for Brooke?"

Sam nearly choked on a piece of popcorn "What? No!"

"Sorry," Jess shrugged "I just kind of got the vibe."

"What vibe? There's no vibe," he assured her.

"Okay, okay, whatever you say," there was silence for a moment "I caught you checking out her ass the other day."

"I was not!" he exclaimed and paused "When?"

"She was wearing the jean skirt I bought her for her birthday," Jess elaborated "And I don't know, she bent down for something and I saw you taking a peek."

"You're telling stories."

"Am not."

"Are."

"Am not!"

"Are!" soon the popcorn was thrown aside and he was pinning her to the sofa, hands tickling her ribs and neck, because he knew those were the spots that most affected her. Struggling for breath, tears running down her cheeks, she begged for mercy. And when he finally did let up, his face was a hair's breadth from hers.

And then the phone rang.

* * *

"It's Sam's birthday soon, what are you gonna get him?" Brooke asked as they browsed the rails of their favourite clothing store in town.

"No idea," Jess smiled mischievously "Ooh we could get him a stripper."

"That would be so fun!" Brooke exclaimed, clapping her hands together like a little girl "Or you know, you could just do it."

"What!" Jess shrieked, appearing from behind the glass cabinet of jewellery she'd been perusing "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh come on Jess," Brooke knocked hips with her best friend "Everyone sees the way he looks at you. Except you, apparently."

"Sam and I aren't like that, at all," Jess shook her head, her blonde ponytail swigging furiously behind her head "He's too much of a nice guy for me."

"All I'm saying is, if you ever okayed it, Sam would get up on it in a second."

"Did you seriously just say 'get up on it' with a straight face?" Jess giggled, checking a rack of vests to see if they had her size.

"What would you prefer?" Brooke shrugged "Tap that?"

"I think I've heard enough euphemisms for today," Jess bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing out loud.

"'Get jiggy with it?'"

* * *

"Sam?" Jess's voice was pitchy and panicked as she practically cried his name down the phone.

"Jess? What's going on?" he sounded bleary and she felt instantly guilty for waking him.

"It's Brooke, I think someone put something in her drink and she can't stay awake and I don't-"

"Whoa, slow down," she listened as the sounds of him getting up reverberated "Where are you?"

"On the steps of our dorm," she responded, glancing warily around her.

"I'll be there in ten."

And he was. He spotted them easily as the only two people around, a blonde girl with her hair being blown in a cloud around her head, fiercely gripping onto the brunette who lay half conscious in her lap.

"Jess," he breathed her name as he neared and she threw her arms around his neck, swallowing a sob in his shoulder.

"I left her, I just went to the bathroom, it was literally five minutes and I found her and he was on top of her…" she trailed off, tears sticking in her eyes.

"Did he-" the question hung in the air.

"No," Jess said, smoothing Brooke's hair out of face "I called you and then campus police straight after."

"Hey," he cupped her head with his hand "I'm here, she's gonna be alright," lifting a hand to meet the one he had on her face, she smiled weakly.

* * *

"Did you have a good birthday?" Jess enquired, flopping down next to Sam on the couch and popping open a beer simultaneously.

He nodded "Want to know what my favourite part was?"

"Ooh share, did you hook up with someone?"

"I think the stripper hooked up with me," his awkward face made Jess burst out laughing "The male stripper."

"I knew you'd love that," she took a mouthful of drink, the bubbles tickling her throat as she giggled.

"Brooke's invention of 'spin the body' was probably the best use of one of those chairs I've ever seen," he smirked.

"I always knew the girl was a genius, her talents are so under utilised here at Stanford," Jess eyes' travelled the room, curling her mouth at the red cups and empty bottles strewn everywhere "Tomorrow is gonna be one hell of a clean up."

"Hey, we still have tonight," Sam grinned and Jess returned it, his optimism was infectious. Leaning forwards she knelt on the couch, stringing her arms around his neck and hugging him close to her. As they drew apart, she smiled at him. "Where's my birthday kiss?" And for some reason, she found herself shaking. Moving close, she went to plant her lips on his cheek but his face turned and their mouths found each other. The kiss seared through her and she broke away, standing up.

"Sam, you're my friend," she said in a quiet voice.

"Just, just…" but she wasn't sure what he was going to say because he kissed her again she saw fireworks and her knees melted beneath her. And as he guided her up against the wall, she realised something. Nice boys are just bad boys with cuter hair.


End file.
